Opinion poll
Regulation of rental e-scooters – what is done where
There are currently no plans to ban rental e-scooters in larger cities such as Munich or Berlin. photo
© Christophe Gateau/dpa
Gelsenkirchen bans e-scooters from being rented. Even if the dispute over this is likely to continue, the question arises: How do other German cities deal with e-scooters?
“Overall, a trend toward increasing regulation in this area can be observed in municipalities,” says the German Association of Cities and Municipalities. In many cases, specific quotas or driving ban zones are specified for rental e-scooters.
Limitation of e-scooters and designated parking areas
Example Hanover: The city of Hanover announced that it would “hopefully draw up a new special use statute next year”. It should also be regulated where e-scooters can be set up or parked. In addition, their number should be limited. However, a complete ban is not being discussed – just as it is not in Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Dresden, Bremen and Berlin, as can be seen from the information there.
According to the Senate Department for Transport, the number of e-scooters in the capital has already been reduced and parking spaces have been designated. “When the number of scooters on offer reaches a certain point, the providers are obliged to employ employees who will find out how to park them correctly and, if necessary, set up any e-scooters lying around.” If the situation does not improve noticeably, appropriate measures would be taken – “that is what was agreed with the providers”.
There are also agreements in Stuttgart and Munich, or more precisely: voluntary commitments by providers. Providers who have signed these so far are largely adhering to the regulations “despite the voluntary nature,” according to Munich. E-scooters should be part of a supply-oriented mobility transition.
Cooperation instead of a complete ban is also the motto in Dresden, although regulations such as limiting the number of vehicles and cordoning off zones in sensitive areas are part of the strategy there too.
What makes the Gelsenkirchen case special
According to the Association of Cities and Municipalities, Gelsenkirchen is “so far the only city that requires providers to verify the identity of users and ties their special use permit to this.” The background was accidents, especially one that resulted in death. The Gelsenkirchen administrative court had decided in an urgent procedure that the two rental companies Bolt and Tier had to comply with the Ruhr area city’s order to “remove the e-scooters from public traffic areas by April 20, 2024”.
The city had required that users register once with the rental companies using an ID card or driver’s license, as city spokesman Martin Schulmann described. Bolt and Tier, according to Schulmann the only e-scooter rental companies in the city, objected, but failed in preliminary legal protection proceedings before the administrative court. However, a spokesman for Bolt emphasized that this was not a final decision. Only the urgent applications from the two companies were rejected.
The last word in the conflict may not have been spoken yet – but for the general manager of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, one thing is fundamentally clear: “If e-scooters are used or parked incorrectly and thus cause accidents or damage, it must be clear that who is liable.” According to him, the best solution would be if the holder, i.e. the provider, were liable. “If that’s not the case, those who use the scooters have to be held liable” – and that requires proof of identity. “Other cities will definitely take a close look at the development in Gelsenkirchen,” says Dedy.